Residents of the northern Iowa town of Bancroft, nearly 900 of them, were evacuated from their homes last night after a propane tank caught fire in an industrial area. The LP tank with 65-hundred gallons in it caught fire at the Welp Incorporated Broiler Hatchery in the Kossuth County town, some 15 miles north of Algona. A shelter was set up at a school but many residents stayed with friends and relatives elsewhere. The all-clear came about 1 A.M. The propane tank was destroyed but the hatchery was not damaged. Workers are reporting to the plant as usual this morning. Investigators say a lightning strike likely set off the blaze.
